The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1887-09-10
DANGERS OF OIL WELLS.
REMARKABLE EXPERIENCES WITH
FIRE AND DYNAMITE.

Tho Small boy and the Lantcrn-Why
u Drillcr-IIow tho Lost Dynamite"
Was Found.
The great natural gas and oil fields of Ohio
and Pennsylvania have unpublished histories
and stories which far surpass the widest
dreams of imagination. The average man
will not believe the stories told of the derrick,
drill and dynamite, and only drillcrs will ap-
preciatc the following accounts, which are
given as actual facts:
In n small town right hero III northwestern
Ohio occurred recently an event which, had
the citizens known, would have caused the
populace to drive drillers, natural gas wells
and oil men out of the place without deuy
Even now, should name of place be given.
authorities would undoubtedly pass an or,li-
nance, as has been done III Fremont, Fostorin
and other towns, forbidding the introduction
of dynamite.
The gns well was located right in the village,
which is mere hamlet of few hundred in
liahitants. 1t was late i'll the day when the,
Trenton was reached, and tho drilcr, IL man
named Smith, who is considered an expert,
decided to shoot the well at 5 o'clock in the
morning.
Five largo dynamite cartridges were
brought to the derrick to be lowered into the
well. y rope had been attached to one of
them and the signal given for the men to
lower it into the we'll The other cartridges
were carefully placed on the floor of the der
rick, all ready for use.
ONE MASS OF FLAME.
Inst ut tIiS Inn,nnnt n cm.ll l,o,, ,,l,,
been sent after Il lantern entered the derrick.
He stumbled and fell, the globe of the lantern
breaking, and without n moments warning
the floor of the derrick, which was covered
with grease and oil, was one mass of flame.
"Run for your lives,' was the order, and
without stopping to look behind, crouching
close to the ground and expecting every mo-
ment to hear terrible explosion from tho
dynamite in the derrick, for the ,lrillcrs knew
that it would be only Il question of low many
seconds before the heat would explode the
dynamite cartridge and blow not only them
selves into eternity, but the inhabitants who
were sleeping quietly and all unconscious of
danger few rods from the WE'LL they ran as
men have never run before. When half n
mile from the well they stopped in the dark
ness and wondered why tho "infernul thing
didn't go Off"
1t was almost daylight before they ven
tured back to tho we'll The explanation of
tho reason why the derrick didn't burn and
tho dynamite didn't explode was very simple,
but it was unheard of and un,reumc.l of by
drillers before.
An Investigation showed Tint the derrick
had burned until tile rope attached to the
cartridge to lower it into the well had burned
off fail f,.I1
the well, exploded at the proper depth by the
conclusion and tho force of tho explosion
forced n column of water up into the air,
The water extinguished the fire i'll every part
Of the derrick. When the drllers returned
they found their gas well already shot, and
the town, derrick and dynamite safe. The
told the citizens of that carly morning race
for their lives
NOT SO FORTUNATE.
Equally thrilling, but not equally fortu-
nate, is the story that comes from Pcnnsyl.
vania of n driller who tried to shoot an oil
well in the Beaver county field. He lowered
the cartridges carefully into the well and at
the critical moment was startled to hear the
oil coming up, knowing that the cartridges
would come up with it. Brucing himself
| lHF ulo NOISt, ile ClubllU UIt cartridges rs
they came up out of the well. Unfortunately
they commenced to drip. He knew if le
stepped on one drop of the explosive that ho
would never shoot another well; yet the drops
were falling around his feet What thoughts
fitted through the mans brain us he walked
slowly on carrying the deadly rack,n rock
will never be known. Tho mental strain and
anguish was too great and threw him on the
ground with yell The drillcrs searched
far and wide for the remnants of his body
in vain.
The Blade has already mentioned the "ost
dynamite on farm near Findluy. The dy-
Mantle was discovered in Il peculiar man
ncr last week. The farmer in whose field the
lrillers buried tho dynamite dared not plow
it, and lie let it grow up to clover. The
drillers searched days for traces of the miss
ing explosive, but in vain. The fnrmer
cursed the drillcrs, and finally turned n herd
of hogs in the clover. Going out the other
day to look at his hogs lie discovered them
clustered around the missing explosives. They
had, with s*inisll perversity, dug the ruck-n
rock out Of the mud, and the dynamite hnd
with equal pervcrsity refused to explode and
butcher the hogs no matter how hard they
kicked and rooted in that vicinity. Tie
owner of the land succeeded in calling them
away from the dangerous locality, aud to-
day lie values the clover field ut 800 more
per acre than lie did last week An instance
of another rapid rise in Findlay reul estate
Toledo Blade.